Trowels are used to spread material such as cement, filler, grout and the like on a work surface such as a floor, a wall, or similar surface. Masonry trowels are hand trowels used to spread or shape material such as mortar or concrete on brickwork or stonework.
Each trowel has a blade suitable for the material and work for which it is used, and a handle attached to the flat of the blade via a neck. A worker typically has a set of different trowels, each suitable for a different job. Trowels are generally stored in a tool box. At the beginning of each work day, the worker typically collects several trowels from the tool box. The worker may have to search through a cluttered tool box to find the necessary trowels, and it can be challenging to keep the trowels organized. The trowels required for the day's job are typically carried to a job site in a bucket or canvas tote bag. The trowels are generally of different lengths and shapes, and are therefore generally not stackable, and can take up significant volume in the bucket or tote. As the trowels are being used during the day, they may be left around the job site, as the worker is often working in different areas. The trowels tend to get lost or left on job sites. Smaller trowels are often carried in the back pocket of the workers' pants and tend to get hooked up on scaffolding, scrape walls or fall out. The trowels are not usually high on the priority list of tools to be put away after work. They can be easily mixed in with debris on job sites and accidently thrown away.
Conventional trowels come in an assortment of sizes with wooden or plastic handles. The welded components of each trowel can fatigue and/or break, thereby resulting in the handles separating from the trowels and rendering them useless as a practical matter. Trowels are frequently in need of being replaced because of breakage or loss.
The folding trowel assembly described in this application comprises a compact casing, and can be carried in a pouch, for example, that attaches to the belt loop of the worker's pants. The folding trowel assembly can comprise a number of different trowel blades housed in the casing, and is easy to carry.
The folding trowel assembly described in this application solves the problem of having to carry around multiple trowels in a bucket or canvas tote bag. The trowel assembly keeps the trowel blades safely stored and ready for use when needed. When the worker is finished with a particular trowel, the trowel can be cleaned off and folded back into the casing, ready for the next use. Workers can each have their own trowel assembly, reducing the likelihood of losing trowels at job sites. The trowel assembly also saves time in that the worker will not have to waste time each day searching out and selecting different trowels for the day's work.